Too Much Too Soon
by Debraaaa12
Summary: Injury leaves Chat in a sticky situation. Marinette is in the right place at the right time. Will she find out who's under the mask? How will that affect the crime fighting duo... Rated M for later chapters. **EDIT!** Realised I am terrible at proof reading so the first 5 chapters have been put through a re-write. Chapter 6 coming soon!***
1. Chapter 1: The End

**Chapter 1 – The End**

The colour red didn't look good on him. The contrast it made against the black was startling. This thought crossed his mind briefly as he limped across the rooftop. The akuma had been more difficult than usual, as if Hawkmoth was putting more and more into each of his attacks. They had managed, but Ladybug barely had time for their fist bump ritual before she had to run off to the sound of beeping. If he hadn't been so focused on hiding the blood, he would have seen the sharp burst of light of her transformation as she swung away from view. The light he so desperately wanted to see.

He didn't want her to know he was injured. He had taken the blow to protect her, like he always did, and she had given up on telling him not to. They had been fighting akuma attacks for years now, but neither of them had been seriously injured. Until now. He hadn't expected the akama's attack to rip through his suit, and the adrenaline of the fight numbed the feeling of the gash that opened up just below his last set of ribs. He had brushed off the reporters and swung away to the nearest rooftop, before anyone else noticed his face paling and his hand wrapped tight around his waist.

"Fuck!" He gasped, his foot slipping on the slick roof tiles. He grabbed at the nearby chimney, swaying, his vision blurring. He needed help, fast. The Argeste mansion was too far, he'd never be able to make it. He stumbled again and dropped to lean his back against the chimney, taking in a deep breath, trying to steady the panic that was starting to bubble inside him. Rubbing the threatening tears from his eyes before they could spill, he tried to stand again, but he could feel himself getting weaker by the second. He lifted his hand up to see the damage, and his vision swam again as the pain shot up his side.

A flash lit up the rooftops, and somewhere in the distance he heard the clash of thunder, and a light rainfall started to hit to roof around him. _What am I supposed to do?_ he thought, once more trying to get to his feet. He couldn't go to the hospital, his miraculous had time but it was sure to wear off before he could get patched up and leave. He couldn't go in as himself. He was one of the most famous faces in Paris. His father would disown him.

He couldn't go home; his father didn't even know that he wasn't in bed where he was meant to be. That said, sneaking in and out had steadily become easier over the years. His father had only grown more distant, but this made it so much easier for Adrien to hide his alter ego. He stumbled towards the next chimney in the row, stepping dangerously close to the edge of the roof. He didn't have anywhere else to go. The panic that was rearing its head started to take over, and he couldn't control the tears from rolling down his face. He dropped onto his hands and knees, the pain getting too much for him. He gasped again, blood splattering the roof beneath him where he'd moved his hand away to catch his fall. A sob bubbled from his throat as he tried once more to slow down the bleeding.

 _This is it_ , he thought, as another sob escaped him. _This is how it ends._ He knew this was always a risk that came with the job, but with years of close calls he never thought it would happen like this. Alone.

His vision blurred again, the edges of his sight starting to go black. He moaned in pain again, louder this time, hoping the people living in the building below him were fast asleep. It was all too much. He slumped over, bringing his knees in towards him. "Ladybug…" he whimpered, his breathing getting slower. He watched his blood swirling with the rain gathering in puddles around him and the rooftop was lit up again by lightning, the thunder growling louder this time. As his vision went dark, all he could think was that he would never see her face again, never see her smile, or roll her eyes at one of her puns. She would never know just how much he loved her.


	2. Chapter 2: Thunder and Lightening

**Chapter 2 – Thunder and Lightening**

Marinette stepped out of the shower, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. Tonight's battle had been one of the worse yet, and she and Chat Noir had both taken a serious beating. At one point the akuma had her cornered, but as always Chat jumped in and taken the blow, giving her time to break the enchanted item and return Paris to safety. She hated it when he took hits to protect her, but she knew there was no point in telling him not too. All he did was flash his lopsided grin and make some pun about cats having nine lives. She laughed to herself as she put on her pajamas. That silly kitty had surely gone through a lot more than nine lives through their years of fighting side by side.

As she passed by her bedroom window, a blinding flash lit up the room, followed by a crash of thunder. Sighing, she walked over to her window and opened them wide, inhaling the soothing smell of the fresh rain now falling from the blackening sky. Most people had a fear of storms, but they were one of Marinette's favourite things. The rhythm of the rainfall and the drastic lights in the sky, followed by the rhythmic crashes of thunder, the whole thing was comforting, like a battle that she didn't have to fight for once, but could just sit back and watch.

She turned away from the window briefly to grab a blanket that was draped over her computer chair, when suddenly she caught a faint noise coming from the roof. _That wasn't thunder, was it?_ she thought, before shrugging it off and wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. _Probably a stray cat caught out in the storm._ She settled down on her window seat, pulling the blanket up around her knees, letting the atmosphere wash away the lingering stress of the day. She hadn't even had time to speak to Chat Noir before the all too familiar beeps forced her to flee the scene, but not before she noticed him clutching his side where the akuma had struck. She bit her lip. _I hope he wasn't hurt too bad,_ she thought, as guilt washed over her.

She was startled out of her thoughts as she heard another noise above, louder this time. _That definitely wasn't a cat,_ she thought, getting to her feet, her fight or flight instincts taking over. She glanced over her shoulder to where Tikki was sleeping peacefully on her bed, worn out from today's events. The noise came once more, clearer this time, and that's when she realised it was someone crying. She tiptoed to the ladder perched on the wall next to the window, the one that her dad used to clear the gutters. One step at a time, she slowly creeped up the ladder, worried about what she would find once she reached the top. She peaked over the edge, where she could just make out the silhouette of something curled up on the rooftop, half hidden behind the chimney. Just as she was debating whether to go any closer or not, another flash of lightening lit up the sky, throwing light onto the dark rooftop.

"Chat!?" She gasped, the light highlighting his face, his position and _shit_ was that blood? Was he conscious? She leapt up the last rig of the ladder and made her way towards him, careful not to slip on the wet roof. As she reached him, she saw his eyes flutter, and she scanned his body for the source of the blood, her eyes stopping on the side he was still weakly clinging to. The exact spot the akuma had struck him earlier. _No!_ She panicked, looking around her as if help would magically appear. _This is all my fault!_

"Chat! Chat please open your eyes!" She lifted his head gently, so it was resting on her lap, one hand lingering on his face while the other she shakenly placed over his wound. The movement and extra pressure made him stir, his eyes fluttering again. "Chat! Please, wake up!" Marinette whispered, a stray tear dropping onto Chat's forehead and mixing with the rain, which had started to pour as the clouds burst above them. He gasped, his eyes opening and focusing on hers, before blurring again.

"Marinette?" He said, barely even forming the word. He lifted a shaking hand to try and brush a strand of hair away from her face and frowned. "What ar-are you doing here?" He made a motion as if he was trying to get to his feet, and any colour he had left in his face completely drained away. Marinette grabbed his arms, steadying him. _I must help him,_ she thought, glancing around her again. _I can't leave him here, he might di- no_ , she shook her head, willing the thought far away. _I won't let that happen!_

 _"_ Chat?" She whispered, brushing his bangs away from his eyes, "Chat, can you move?"

He flashed her a shadow of his lopsided grin, clearly trying to hide how much pain he was in. "Anything for… you… purrincess." Even given the circumstances, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. _Always with the puns, even now._ She gripped his arms again, and slowly they managed to get him standing. He swayed dangerously, leaning heavily against her, biting his lip fiercely trying and failing and to stop himself from crying out in pain.

Marinette let out a breath, her mind going into Ladybug mode. _Step one, get him out of this rain._


	3. Chapter 3: Stitches

**Chapter 3 - Stitches**

The distance between the roof and the balcony wasn't considered high, but it took Marinette a good ten minutes to get Chat down the ladder and through her bedroom window. The trail of blood that dotted their path only seemed to thicken, and Chat faded in and out of consciousness more times than she would've liked. Finally, she managed to sit him down on her sofa, where he slouched over and took a few deep breaths.

"Chat?" Marinette hesitated, not sure how to say what she was thinking. "I- I need to see your wound…"

Chat lifted his head slightly, his blonde locks framing his face, but she could still see the sly look he was giving her. "Are you im-implying you want me to take off my c-lothes?" He chuckled at Marinette's tut, which turned into another moan of pain as the movement caused another wave of pain through his side. "I can shift back…if you want…?"

"No!" She cried, a little louder than he expected. "I mean…I can't find out who you are, it would…um…put me in danger…" she stuttered, trying to cover her tracks. He sighed, _of course, that's the same reason Ladybug gives. Don't put anyone in danger by knowing who we really are, even each other._

"Does the suit come off?" Marinette asked, a bright blush of red creeping across her cheeks. "Without shifting?"

"Well of course purr-incess" Chat grinned and lifted a clawed hand to the bell that hung below his chin. A slight tug revealed a hidden zip, which was invisible to anyone who didn't look close enough. Marinette crouched down next to him, and with shaking hands she reached up and helped pull the bell lower. Years of crime fighting had clearly taken its toll on Chat, as the leather slipped away to unwrap a perfectly sculpted chest and an impressive six pack. She didn't know where to look, although she could feel Chat's gaze on her through his bangs. Together they wrestled his glove and sleeve off his arm, and the leather hung from his other shoulder, freeing a back to match his front. Marinette gulped as she watched the muscle in his shoulder contract under his skin, and quickly diverted her gaze away as her face flushed brighter.

If it had been any other circumstance, Chat would have had plenty to say about her reaction to his body, but now the final barrier had been moved from his side, his wound ached more than ever, and his vision swam once more.

Marinette leaped up. She rushed from the room and moments later returned with bag in her hand. Placing it down next to Chat, she unzipped it to reveal an impressive first aid kit. Crouching next to him again, she opened one of the anti-bacterial wipes. Looking back at his side, she paused. "The blood. I-I need to remove it an-and make sure the wound is clean." She paused, finally looking him in the eye again. "This is going to hurt." He nodded, knowing this was only going to get worse before it could get better. He looked around quickly, before grabbing one of the cushions on the couch behind him and locking it between his jaws. He turned to Marinette and gave her a quick nod. _Let's get this over with,_ he thought.

She ever so gently lifted the wipe to his side, and slowly started dabbing away at the blood. The noise that came next sounded something like a mix between the yowl of a cat and a painful whimper. She jumped back, as Chat clenched down on the cushion, his eyes screwed shut from the pain.

"Chat! I'm sorry! I can't-I can't do this" she panicked. He shook his head, catching her eyes once more. He lifted the hand that wasn't holding him up and wrapped it around hers, still holding the wipe. He didn't have to say anything, his eyes said it all. _Please. Help me._ Marinette took a deep breath and continued to clean the wound. Chat tried his best, but he couldn't help wincing as she removed the dirt that had somehow imbedded itself into his side. The cushion couldn't completely mute the noises that escaped him.

Finally, Marinette dropped another wipe on the pile that she had gathered next to her and sat back on her heels. "Done," she breathed.

Chat unclenched his jaw, and the cushion dropped onto the floor in front of him. He let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. "How bad is it?" He asked.

"It's small, but it's deep" she said. "I-I think you need stitches…" He shook his head. Stitches meant hospital, and that was out of the question. Marinette seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "I-I have special thread…I could…." She trailed off, looking anywhere but at Chat.

"I trust you Marinette." He hooked her chin; once more making their eyes meet. By this point, his side had started to feel numb, as if his pain receptors had just overloaded and given up. Marinette made quick but concentrated work, putting her fashion skills to good use. Soon Chat had a neat row of stitches, which he inspected, impressed, before she covered the area with a clean bandage.

"With any luck, you won't have much of a scar" She voiced, a little proud of doing such a good job given the circumstance.

The tension that Chat had been holding in his shoulders seemed to melt away. "Thank god. My dad would kill me…" His eyes widened, worried he'd said too much, but Marinette only smiled.

"He must really care about you." At this, his shoulder became tense again. He tried to stand pulling his suit back around his shoulder, but as soon as he got to his feet he started swaying again. Marinette jumped to her feet and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?" He gasped.

"I have to go," he explained, trying to move towards the window. Marinette was having none of it.

"Chat! You can barely stand! And besides, the rain is not giving up any time soon." They both glanced out the window, having forgotten about the weather. A flash of lightening picked its time perfectly, filling the room with a bright white followed by a clash of thunder, which seemed to be right above the house. "Stay."

Chat tried to reason with her. "But Princess – my miraculous…" He looked in her eyes once more, and knew he had no choice.

"I promise I won't look."


	4. Chapter 4: Wake Up Call

**Chapter 4 - Wake Up Call**

"Princess, you know I can't do that. What if-" Chat tried to argue, suddenly nervous at the thought of staying here, all night, with Marinette. _She's a friend_ , he thought, _I can trust her_.

"Chat, you cannot go back out there! You need to rest!" Marinette was not taking no for an answer. She crossed to her desk where she had been working on a new project, picked up a scrap of fabric and sat down on her bed. She held it out to Chat. "Blindfold me. Then I can't look."

Chat considered his options, and then took the fabric from her outstretched arm. "Ladybug is going to kill me if she finds out," he muttered. Marinette giggles at this and turned so he could tie the fabric around her eyes. He tried to be as gentle as he could tying the knot, but he couldn't stop his hands from shaking. "How many fingers?" He asked, holding up two in front of her.

"Three?" She guessed, angled as if she was looking somewhere close to his left ear. She couldn't see a thing. She lay down on her bed, careful to leave just enough room for him to lie down next to her. Chat hesitated, not knowing if he should...

 ** _Beep, beep, beep_** _!_

He hadn't even noticed his miraculous was about to run out until a burst of green light swallowed him, and suddenly he was Adrien, standing in the middle of Marinette's room. She couldn't help but gasp, the light blinding even through her blindfold. The last of the magic faded, and Adrien dropped down next to her on the bed. Careful not to bump into her, he lay down, wincing slightly. He reached over and turned off her lamp, so the room was now aglow with moonlight and the occasional flash off lightning which had now faded off into the distant. "Marinette?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

 _She was having such a wonderful dream. His smile was blinding, his laugh sounded like music to her ears, and when he said her name it lit her up like the night skies of Paris. "Marinette?" How wonderfully warm he was, wrapping his arms around her. "Mari...?"_

"Adrien..." she sighed, pulling tighter onto whatever she was cuddling into. Slowly she realised it had only been a dream, and then all at once she realised the thing she was holding was, alive. And breathing… and calling her name.

 _Did she just say...?_ Adrien froze, a million thoughts passing through his mind. _Does she know? Did she look? Was she dreaming about me? The real me?_ Marinette brushed a hand against the fabric covering her eyes, suddenly remembering the events of last night. The fight, the storm, the blood.

"Chat!" _Only a dream then_ , he guessed, not sure what to make of that. _She had been dreaming about him, about the real him. I mean they were friends, but was she thinking of him as something more_? He sat up, and all at once dropped back down as pain seared up his side.

"Purricness, what an honour to wake up to a beauty such as yourself" he purred through gritted teeth, trying to hide his gasp of pain with some quick-witted flirting. It wasn't a complete lie, if he was honest. He had woken to sun pouring in through the window and had spent a good five minutes watching Marinette's low breaths as she slept. How had he not noticed before how beautiful she was? the light freckles around the bridge of her nose, and the way her hair curled across her forehead. A feeling rose up inside him, but he swallowed it. I'll deal with that later, he thought. He smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, enjoying how relaxed she seemed.

"Marinette?" This time it was not the sound of Adrien, or Chat, calling her name, but her mother, who by the sounds of things was coming up the stairs towards her room.

This time Adrien ignored the pain and shot to his feet. He could not be found here, not like this.

"The bathroom Chat, quick!" Marinette ushered, both hands clutching the fabric around her eyes. He made a dash for the open door, and swung it shut behind him just as he heard the bedroom door opening.

"Marinette, honey, you're going to be late for school." He tried to calm his breathing as he listened through the door. Shit! He had school. Good thing he was now allowed to walk to school, he thought, already thinking up excuses for not being home this morning. Early jog, catching up on homework in the library...

"Chat?" came a whisper through the door. "She's gone. Do you need...can I get you anything?" Before he could answer he heard his kwami pipe up, and Marinette gave a small eeek as he did so.

"Any cheese? I'm starved!"

Adrien sighed. "Marinette, meet Plagg. He's how I become Chat Noir."

"Ni-nice to meet you Pl-Plagg, I think we have some cheese bread downstairs." Marinette rushed out the door, and Adrien opened the bathroom door enough to let Plagg fly through.

"What are you doing kid, you're going to get yourself into trouble!"

"I know, but I didn't have much choice did I!" He heard footsteps coming back to the bedroom and a plate of fresh pastries slid through the barely open door. One Plagg had stuffed his face with as much as he could, Adrien transformed back into his alter ego. He noticed how the tear in the suit where he was hit was perfectly fixed. _If only the same thing worked on my ribs_. He opened the bathroom door and slipped back into the bedroom. Marinette was sitting at her desk, dressed for the day, brushing her hair. "You should wear your hair down more often" he said, mentally kicking himself as soon as the words had left his mouth. Marinette glanced up at him, a blush spreading across her face. "You suit it down."

"How are you feeling?" She asked, her eyes traveling down to where she had stitched him up last night.

"Like all my nine lives are still intact, thanks to your expert sowing skills." He made to bow, but only got so far before he was wincing in pain again.

"Easy kitty. You still need to rest." Marinette took his arm and moved him towards the window.

"Had enough of this stray already?" he joked. He felt her grip tighten only slightly on his arm before letting him go.

"I'm sorry kitty, but I have to get going or I'm going to be late." Right, school.

"Well then princess, I bid you farewell. Thank you again for everything," he kissed the back of her hand, sending another blush across her face. Swinging across to the opposite rooftop, he couldn't help but glance but to see her still standing by the window, watching as he left. There was that twang in his chest again.


	5. Chapter 5: Stolen Glances

**Chapter 5 – Stolen Glances**

It was common Marinette and Adrien to be late for class, what with Adrien's busy schedule and with Marinette being... well, Marinette, but they were going to end up in serious trouble if they don't turn up soon. Alya tapped her pencil on the desk, glancing once more at the clock. The bell was about to ring any moment now and they were both on their last warnings. Marinette's parents wouldn't mind, but Mr Agreste would surely give Adrien some form of punishment, even though it was technically his fault for scheduling so many early morning shoots.

Just as the bell chimed through the hallways, she saw a familiar blond-haired boy through the frosted glass of the classroom door, bumping absentmindedly into and all too clumsy dark-haired bestie. Alya couldn't help but let out a giggle. _Just get together already!_ She thought.

Marinette felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Her sketchbook slipped from her hands and her feet slid from beneath her, but before she could completely loose her balance she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. She looked up, and all she could see was blond hair and green eyes. The sketchbook clattered to the floor, but neither could look away. Adrien was mesmerised with how blue her eyes were. He had never noticed before. He unconsciously tightened his grip around her waist. His mind flashed with the events of last night.

"If you two are done with your staring competition, class began five minutes ago!" The too jumped apart as the voice of Ms. Mendeleiev awoke them from the daze they had both become stuck in. They jumped apart.

"Sorry!" They chimed in unison, more to each other than the teacher. She struck them with her glaring stare, a cold contrast between the one they had just been caught up in, and turned back towards the classroom door, where all their classmates were peering out to watch the drama unfold.

"One class is over for the day, you will see me at my desk for your punishment."

"But I have fenc-" Adrien argued, while Marinette simultaneously squeaked, "I have to m-make deliv-"

"No arguing! Take your seats!"

They both dropped their gazes to look at the ground, and Adrien dropped down to pick up the forgotten sketchbook. He glanced at the page it had fallen open at and noticed sketches of a familiar hero in black and green. He couldn't help but smile, and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. As the shuffled towards their seats, he placed it gently into Marinette's hand. She jumped, thinking she was about to get into even more trouble. _Is she really that scared of me?_ He thought, the smile dropping from his lips. He glanced back at her as they took their seats, and their eyes caught once more. "Sorry" he mouthed, watching a blush creep across her face.

"Adrien!" He started, and felt a matching blush rising in his cheeks.

He turned around to face the board. "Sorry Ms Mendeleiev," he mumbled.

Adrien didn't dare look round for the duration of the class, however the agitation he felt being unable to look at Marinette was almost unbearable. _Get a grip Agreste_! He thought to himself. She had worn her hair down, like it had been that morning, and he hadn't lied when he had told her she suited it. It highlighted her features and only made her eyes look all the bluer. He wanted to gaze into them again and had to catch himself from turning around. It wasn't until lunch that he could, and he glance at the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes.

As the bell rang for lunch, he took his time leaving the classroom to make sure that Alya and Marinette went ahead, so he could ease the raising ache inside him and look at her once more. Okay, so that ache was probably mostly due to the stitches in his side, which he had almost forgotten about after the events of this morning.

"Dude?" Nino nudged him in the ribs, unknowingly catching him exactly on said stitches and waking him from the daydream he had been stuck in. He winced and grabbed his side. Marinette glanced back as she was leaving the class, her brow furrowing as if trying to remember something. "Hey, are you okay man?"

"Yeah, uhh, fencing injury is all" Adrien grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "Lunch?"

They made their way to the canteen and took the free seats across from Marinette and Alya, the latter of which immediately started talking about her latest footage she filmed last night for her LadyBlog. Adrien's mind wandered to the events of last night, and he felt an all too familiar twang in his chest again. He couldn't resist staring at Marinette again, who was listening intently on Alya's story, but he did notice her glance his way more than once and tried to look inconspicuous in his staring.

 _Adrien is staring at me why is he staring at me do I have something on my face did I do something to upset him why is Adrien staring at me!_ Marinette's mind was going into overdrive. She glanced across the table at him again, and once more blue met green.

"Are you even listening to me?" Alya snapped, and both jumped. "Girl you are spaced out more than usual today, and Adrien, you look like you've been daydreaming all day." Adrien shook his head to clear his mind, although he noticed blue eyes following his movements. "As I was saying…" Alya launched back into her retelling of the attack. "I'm surprised neither of them have been seriously hurt, it's been what, three years since they starting saving Paris, and I was sure Chat took a hit last night but he seemed fine-"

"He did get hit!" Marinette blurted out, and then raised a hand to cover her mouth, her cheeks burning. Three pairs of eyes landed on her.

"Mari, what do you mean he got hit?" Alya had her full attention on her friend as the two boys listened in intensively. "We all saw him leave the same as Ladybug."

"He was… I mean, he-he landed on my ro-roof." Marinette spluttered. She knew she wouldn't be able to lie about what had happened, and Alya would get it out of her eventually. "He was in a ba-bad way. I st-stitched him back up and he… he stayed the night."

"HE WHAT NOW!"


End file.
